Catfish is a unique documentary that really shows the horrors that Internet communication can create. One thing that boggles me is why Nev never asked Megan to skype. Skype is one of the web’s most popular ways of chatting. If he was so infatuated with the girl, then why not see her for real, in the flesh?
The entire plot of Catfish could only happen because of Web 2.0 and the world’s wired connectivity. Because Nev had one photo featured in the media, Angela was able to track him down. This is a great example of how democratized media has changed fame and has made our world smaller.
From there, through the shield of Facebook, text messages and email Angela impersonated a young and beautiful girl. It did not completely surprise me to find out that Megan was not real. Many people today escape reality through assuming false identities on the web. A good example of this is how people act on Xbox live. If you are playing a video game with voice communication, you will hear people be extremely rude and say things they would never say face to face. The shield of the Internet gives people the courage to say inappropriate things because they know they will never meet the person on the other end.
That’s where Catfish differed. Angela did indeed meet the person on the other end, who exposed her for who she really is.
Web 2.0 made this fiasco, affair…whatever it was, to exist. Facebook enabled Angela to use her inputted information to create a community of people. With Web 1.0 websites, this would not be possible. Web 2.0 is driven by user submitted data, media, etc. Angela took advantage of the technology for her benefit. Instead of honestly entering information, she made up several people to enable her fantasy double-life. The thing that amazed me the most was how she used Web 2.0 and democratized media to drive her online life. Every person she emulated had pictures, personal information and other key details. Every detail of every made up person was stolen either from the web or from people she knew in real life. It really shows the possible downside of Web 2.0.
It was almost like she was committing minor identity theft. She lived vicariously through her own daughter. That’s just psychotic, honestly. Anyway, the culture of surveillance we talked about is now. Every evening after 11pm Angela, aka Megan would log onto Facebook and update her personal online community of identities. She was watching Nev, his friends and everything surrounding his life. It’s like online stalking with a cooperating participant. Stalking isn’t the correct word but it was certainly obsessive.
Web 2.0 provided Angela with an escape from her daunting, stressed reality of being a housewife and mother to two handicapped boys. Following her exposure, Angela is now using Web 2.0 sites like Facebook and Twitter to promote her true self and artwork. Her transformation showed the ups and downs of online life. It showed me to be careful and doubtful of whom people say they are. I would never go online looking for love like Nev. Regardless this movie made me more skeptical of the online world and more cautious. I wonder how many people out there are living online lives like Angela? We may never know.
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